Spring feeding by pink-footed geese reduces carbon stocks and sink strength in tundra ecosystems

• Published in: Global Change Biology
• Main Authors: van der Wal, Rene, Sjogersten, Sofie, Woodin, Sarah J., Cooper, Elisabeth J., Jonsdottir, Ingibjorg S., Kuijper, Dries, Fox, Tony A. D., Huiskes, A. D.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2007
• Subjects: belowground herbivory; C sink; C source; ecosystem respiration; goose grubbing; high arctic; land-use change; net ecosystem exchange; Spitsbergen; ARCTIC SALT-MARSH; ABUNDANCE; COMPONENTS; HERBIVORY; EXCHANGE; DYNAMICS; DIOXIDE; SOIL; Arctic; Svalbard; Tundra
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/11370/bf17ad3a-9ae9-48a6-aed2-65132727bd1f; https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/bf17ad3a-9ae9-48a6-aed2-65132727bd1f; https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2006.01310.x

Tundra ecosystems are widely recognized as precious areas and globally important carbon (C) sinks, yet our understanding of potential threats to these habitats and their large soil C store is limited. Land-use changes and conservation measures in temperate regions have led to a dramatic expansion of arctic-breeding geese, making them important herbivores of high-latitude systems. In field experiments conducted in high-Arctic Spitsbergen, Svalbard, we demonstrate that a brief period of early season below-ground foraging by pink-footed geese is sufficient to strongly reduce C sink strength and soil C stocks of arctic tundra. Mechanisms are suggested whereby vegetation disruption due to repeated use of grubbed areas opens the soil organic layer to erosion and will thus lead to progressive C loss. Our study shows, for the first time, that increases in goose abundance through land-use change and conservation measures in temperate climes can dramatically affect the C balance of arctic tundra.